Carson Palmer sputtered early on but seems to be continuously improving as he gains more familiarity with the Oakland offense. The Bears, meanwhile, meet the Raiders in a hostile road environment with backup Caleb Hanie at the helm. Hanie plays with uncanny moxie, but the Oakland Coliseum will be a difficult place to make a debut as a starting quarterback.

Running Backs

Advantage

Matt Forte and Marion Barber might prove too much for a Raiders defense that is allowing 157 yards per game at home this season. Look for the Bears to rely on the duo with Jay Cutler out of commission for a while. The Raiders will lean on Michael Bush, who has averaged 115.3 yards since taking over for the injured Darren McFadden (foot).

Despite deploying their sixth combination of starters up front, the Bears kept Cutler clean last week, and the expectation is the unit will do the same for Hanie even in the face of all the blitz packages the Raiders are likely to bring. Oakland’s rushing attack has excelled with Jared Veldheer, Stefen Wisniewski, Samson Satele, Cooper Carlisle and Khalif Barnes. But the unit has allowed seven sacks in the past three games.

Defensive Line

Advantage

The Raiders are tied for sixth in the NFL in sacks and are led by DT Tommy Kelly, who posted two sacks against the Vikings last week, picked off a pass and contributed three quarterback hurries. DT Richard Seymour (five sacks) remains a question mark and might be limited to only pass-rushing situations because of a knee injury. Collectively, Oakland possesses more talent than the Bears, who are led by defensive end Julius Peppers (six sacks).

Linebackers

Advantage

Lance Briggs grew up in Sacramento, Calif., and will be motivated to play in front of family and friends. He contributed two tackles for lost yardage last week. Brian Urlacher also posted a tackle for lost yardage last week and has generated double-digit tackle games in two of the past three weeks. Edge rusher Kamerion Wimbley (six sacks) leads an athletic group of Raiders linebackers that also features Rolando McClain.

Secondary

Advantage

The Raiders allow 240.1 yards per game through the air and seem to be getting more production out of strong safety Tyvon Branch, who is also the club’s leading tackler. FS Michael Huff (ankle) and CB Chris Johnson (groin/hamstring) have been slowed by nagging injuries. Chicago’s secondary is fully healthy and appears to be gradually improving because of stronger play from safeties Major Wright and rookie Chris Conte.

Special Teams

Advantage

Return man Devin Hester struggled the last time he faced the Raiders and has been hobbled by throughout the week with a shin injury. On punts and field goals, the Bears could experience some difficulty because of a new long snapper taking over for the injured Patrick Mannelly. In addition to the team’s strong return units, Oakland features two of the NFL’s strongest legs in kicker Sebastian Janikowski and punter Shane Lechler. But it’s also worth mentioning the Raiders have given up the most punt-return yardage in the NFL.

Coaching

Advantage

The Raiders lead the NFL in penalties and penalty yardage, including 17 personal fouls, and that’s typically a direct result of coaching. In home games, they’ve committed 42 penalties for 425 yards. Hue Jackson is in his first year as Oakland’s head coach, and that might play a role in some of the miscues. Bears coach Lovie Smith, meanwhile, seems to be on a roll with his team stringing together a five-game winning streak for the second straight season.

Overall

Advantage

Bears offensive line coach Mike Tice expects Oakland to attack them the same way the Raiders attacked Minnesota rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. Oakland brought a variety of pressure packages to rattle the inexperienced rookie, and that’s likely the plan again against Hanie. The Bears will look to establish the rushing attack early as usual with Forte and Barber. The Bears aren’t likely to scale back the offense at all to compensate for a new starter at quarterback, but they’ll use extra protection in the form of extra tight ends and running backs chipping to handle the Raiders’ pressure. Oakland’s offense might be limited because of injuries at receiver, forcing the club to employ lots of heavy sets so it can get the ground game moving. Look for the Raiders to try to play the field-position game and keep the ball away from Hester.

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